Drier.



G. D. PARKER.

DRIER.

APPLICATION FiLED MAR. 20. 1911.

m mz

Patented Mar. 1b, 1919.

A TTORNE YS.

State of California,

barren sr GEORGE TD. PARKER, 0F RIVERSIDE, GALIFORNIA.

DRIER.

10 all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, GEORGE D. PARKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Riverside, in the county of Riverside and have inventedcertain new aiid useful Improvements in Driers, of whit-h the followingis a specification.

To better present fruit, particularly oranges, to the trade, and toremove the aci cu ihiilated dust and foreign matter from the practlce toskin thereof, it has become the wash the fruit, and in order to expeditethe handling of the washed fruit the drying of the same is necessary.

The present invention relates to a drying apparatus particularlydesigned for the drying of oranges, which is simple in construction,thereby enabling the same to be manufactured at little cost; is capableof operation at little cost, thereby enabling the same to treat fruit atvery small cost, and by the en'iploynient of which the high speed blowerapparatus is dispensed with and relatively slow moving means, capable ofdisplacing a great volume of air, is employed. and which is capable ofbeing operated by the application of little power.

To more fully comprehend the invention, reference is directed to theaccompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a broken plan view of thepreferred embodiment of my invention.

Fig. is a side elevation.

Fig. 3 is .a detail of one of the conveyor rollers and supporting tracktherefor.

Referring more particularly to the several views of the drawings,wherein like cl'iararters of reference designate correspom ing parts.-1indicates the drier housing comprising the respective upwardly inclinedportions 2 and the horizontal portion 2, the portionsbeing connected atadjacent ends. the lower or feed end A of the inclined portion connectswith a suitable conveying means 3 leading from the washer, not shown, I

and the discharge end B of the horizontal ortion 2 connects with thedischarge chute leading to any suitable point in the packing house. Thelower end of the portion 2 rests preferably on the base 5 and thehorizontal portion 2 is preferably supported by members 7. Secured tothe Side member 8 of the housing are the upper and lower supportingtracks 9, and at the opposite en ds of the portions 2 and 2 of saidhousing are transversely disposed rotatable shafts l0 Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented Mar. 18, 1939.,

and 11 carrying at their opposite ends suitable sprockets 12 over whichthe conveyor chains 13 pass. Certain pf the links of the conveyor chainsare provided with spindles 14L wluch rotatably support the conveyerrolls 15 rotating on the upper surface of the tracks 9.

Thus it will be observed that the fruit as conveyed through the drierhousing is roveyers will be operated at the same speed and in the samedirection. The conveyers are operated in the direction of the arrows bypower, supplied from any suitable source, not shown, to the band wheel1'? on one of the shafts 11. i

The bottom of the drier housing is open, as in the drawings, and closingthe top thereof are a plurality of hoods or covers 18 and 18, eachhaving a roof portion 19 downwardly inclined toward the feed end of theapparatus and the vertical side walls20 and rear wall 21.Disposedlongitudinally above the horizontal portion 2 of the housing isa shaft 21 rotating in bearings 22 and extending centrally through theair inlet openings in the rear walls 20 of the hoods 18. Vithin theopening 23 are located the fans .24 mounted on a shaft 21', adapted whenrotated to draw air inwardly through the openings in the rear walls ofthe respective hoods and force the same in the direction of the arrowsonto the rotating fruit as conveyled through the drier.

'llhe hood 1% is formed in its side walls 20 with the openings 25 inwhich are mounted the fans 26, carried by a transverse shaft 27rotatablc'in bearings 28, the fans being of such a type as to draw airinwardly into the hood and force the same downwardly onto the washedfruit. as conveyed when said shaft is rotated in the direction of thear- I'OY.

It will be apparent that the fruit as received from the washer issubmitted to a heavy current or blast of air as conveyed upwardlythrough the portion 2 of said drier, the moisture therefrom beingabsorbed by the air current as it passes from the open 65 tated topresent all surfaces thereof to the mid is delivered from the inclinedflight to the horizontal conveyer flight, and during its passing throughthe conveyer drier housing erating on each of said portions of saidtracks between said side frame members and movable longitudinally ofsaid tracks for conveying fruit to be dried a hood over saidlongitudinal portion, a hood over said inclined portion of said track,and a fan within each of said hoods and adapted for forcing airdowm'vardly onto the fruit as con veyed and through the conveye'rscarrying the same. I

2. A fruit drying apparatus comprising an upwardly inclined open endlessconveyer, a longitudinally disposed open endless cone veycr arrangedwith one end in cotiperation With'the upper end of said upwardly i11-clined conveyer, a housing inelosing said conveyers and open at itsbottom, a plurality of hoods forming the top wall of said housing andeach having a downwardly inclined roof, an end and side walls extendedat substantially right angles from the conveyer over which therespective hoods are positioned, the end wall of certain of said hoodsbeing formed with an opening, and the side walls of certain other ofsaid hoods being formed with an opening, a fan in each of said openings,means for operating said fans to force air downwardly into and outwardlythrough the open bottom of said housing to dry the fruit as conveyed,and a shaft connecting the fans within the openings of the hood andWallsto cause the operation of the same in unison.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE D. "PARKER.

- lVitnesses: I

CHAS. F. BRooKHAB'r, S. A. MARKS.

